by Julie Klassen
Ah, nothing like a trip back to merry old England back in the 19th century.
Melodrama- the servants' world below stairs...the handsome Lord and his secretive cousin...the persistent stable boy...the strange gamekeeper...and the mysterious governess with a hidden past...
What do they all have in common? A penchant for stirring up trouble in unexpected ways.
Olivia is forced to flee from her parent's house when a horrible incident causes her to fear for her life and her mother's. She runs away to Brightwell Court where she accidentally overhears a dreadful secret that will greatly affect Lord Bradley, the young son of Lord Brightwell. Intending to keep her from revealing his secret Lord Bradley forces Olivia to become the new under nurse to the children of his beautiful cousin Judith, recently widowed and residing at Brightwell Court. Olivia soon becomes fast friends with the children but does not convince the Lord of her innocence quite so quickly.
But, Olivia is not the only one aware of the Lord's secret; someone is blackmailing Lord Bradley. Could it be Felix, the lazy dandy under pressure to graduate from school who might just snap? Is it Croome, the frightening gamekeeper with something to hide? Is it a poacher, intending to make a pretty penny off of Lord Bradley? Or could it be Olivia herself, who has a great secret of her own and was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time?
Julie Klassen really did her research when she wrote this story, each chapter starts off with an excerpt from a book about 19th century English life and sets a precedent for what the rules and conventions were for a typical household. Without giving away the main conflict: the details and intricacies can be muggy but it is all explained in the end.
I really like the story and would definitely recommend it. Now excuse me; I'm off to reserve more Julie Klassen books from the library.
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